Inventive independent British comics publisher Mad Robot Comics have sailed past their crowdfunding target for their latest anthology project, Cadavers: World Gone to Hell – but there’s still time to back the title on Kickstarter. Created by Edward Bentley and Matt Hardy, the book includes stories from Ash Deadman, Luke Francis, Russell Mark Olson, Kieren Stevens and many more.
In Cadavers: World Gone to Hell, imagine a world where the monsters of myth and folklore live side-by-side with the rest of humanity.
Imagine that world ripped apart by the machinations of a power hungry politician and an immortal killing machine in the body of a little girl.
A World Gone To Hell…
The Cadavers anthology is a 130-page collection of stories by some of the most popular and talented indie writers and artists working today, each story a complete tale in its own right… A unique vision from the creators, but read as a whole, all form part of a connected epic story.
Showcasing a vast range of styles, this connected anthology contains tales of love, sacrifice, murder, hatred and betrayal. Also tales of dating, suicide, weird sex and shopping. From the shocking to the sublime – we have all bases covered.
Here’s a guide to the stories planned. Each story is set in a consecutive month of the year. The year in which the world falls apart and society burns…
January kicks off with an introduction to Anima – a young girl with a secret that will shake the world to its core. Anima’s trial by fire is brought to you by Cadavers creators Matt Hardy (Murder Most Mundane, Last Exit to Brighton) and Edward Bentley (Dark Boy and Adler).
February is a change of pace. A gumshoe, noir tale of a “Blob Detective” – hot on the trail of a missing limb. Charlie Etheridge-Nunn (Who Dares Rolls) and Russell Mark Olson (Lady Hollywood, Gateway City) give us our first glimpse of a world populated by monsters and the strange – but where crime and love remain unchanged…
March examines the rise to power of a pivotal player in the anthology. Matt Hardy (Last Exit to Brighton) and Clark Bint (Murder Most Mundane) give us a story called “Karma Inc”, showing how technology from the future can pollute the past and ruin the present.
April introduces us to Sully – a confused, kind-hearted lump, looking for love, whilst struggling to piece himself together. Jordan Thomas (Climax) and Arturo Mesa (Infinite Seven) give us “Love in Stitches” – a misfit love story of dating apps, transforming body parts and loss.
May gives us the story of an isolated child, an overprotective mother and a society starting to fear the monsters in their midst. In “Narrow” – Matt Hardy (Madhouse) and Luke Francis (Twisted Abnormality) give us monsters – but not quite the monsters you expect…
June is the tale of a young woman – betrayed and buried alive – as the political landscape shifts to target those it sees as threats. Ash Deadman (Murder Most Mundane) and Lyndon White (Hexes, The Mind of James Svengal) give us “Buried Deep” – the tragic story of the Cadaver called Revenant…
July – and with open hostility towards Spectrals now part of everyday life – the fearsome Bogeyman takes matters into his own hands by…. going shopping for cat food. The Dark-Boy and Adler team of Dan Earey and Edward Bentley give us “The Tuna Eclipse” – a lighthearted tale of supermarket aisles, cats and fish products…
August – as a thought-plague infection spreads throughout the world – we find ourselves in a hospital with a young woman being hunted by the haunted. In “Your Blood” – Cadavers creators Matt Hardy (Madhouse) and Edward Bentley (Last Exit to Brighton) deliver the bad news…
September… As the world falls apart, a Spectral who feels no pain finds himself the victim of a brutal assault. Kieren Stevens (Broadcast Comics) and Thodoris Laourdekis (Four Thieves, Sicarius & Red Echo) present “Macabre” – a harrowing tale of a man pushed too far…
October… Two scientists conduct experiments to examine the boundaries between worlds – as their assistant slowly falls in love with a figure across the divide. Charlie Etheridge-Nunn (Who Dares Roles, Cuckoo) and Rory Donald (Griff Gristle, Resurrection Men) give us “Fractured”. A tale of choices. All bad.
November finds a group of children picking their way through their decaying city – as the world finally falls apart. Jordan Thomas (Love in Stitches) and Daniel Maine (The Musketeers, Robyn Hood) present “Come See” – a tale of lost childhood and death.
December… With society lost and Spectrals openly hunted – the Spectral known as Poltergeist flees – and fights – for his life. Matt Hardy (Murder Most Mundane) and Jonathan Scott (Comichaus, Future Quake) – finish out the year with “Forced Perspective” – a story of extreme personal tragedy and loss.
So – we have stories of horror. Stories of violence. And surprisingly – a number of stories about love. Also a story about a Blob solving crimes in a Fedora. Not many anthologies have all that!
And running through each tale there are the manipulations of the true villains of the story, subtly influencing events from behind the scenes, orchestrating their rise to power and unleashing terror on the world….
One Story, told by twelve Artists. One Weird and Wonderful World – Eating Itself Alive.
• Back Cadavers: World Gone to Hell here onKickstarter
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, Crowd Funding Projects, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
Last chance to grab Fish Collectibles official Strontium Dog figure 
Crowdfunding Spotlight: Pandora Presents Penny Pentagram 
Crowdfunding Spotlight: Angel Eyes from Mad Robot Comics 
downthetubes presents… “Doomed Covenant” a comic strip by Alan Langford